This invention relates to improved self-service fuel pump equipment particularly the type used to dispense gasoline at a self-service station.
Many gasoline service stations now permit the customer to fill a gas tank using the station fuel pump. A problem that has resulted is that some customers fill their tank and then drive away without paying for the fuel. One way to overcome this problem is to require the customer to prepay for the fuel which he proposes to buy. This, however, has been found to slow or delay traffic in a self-service gasoline station. Additionally, once the prepayment is made and the pump is unlocked so that the customer may use it, the customer may pump more than the amount of gasoline for which he paid.
Another solution is the use of gates or restraining devices to control traffic through a service station. This is an expensive means of control. Various other sophisticated means of controlling the dispensing of fuel are possible. However, the cost of using such means is often not justified.
The present invention provides for a relatively inexpensive method for control of dispensing fuel from a self-service pump.